Light projector



April 1960 E. TABOURET LIGHT PROJECTOR Filed July 25. 1956 United States Patent LIGHT PROJECTOR Eugene Tahouret, Argentan, France Application July 23, 1956, Serial No. 599,545

Claims priority, application France July 27, 1955 Claims. Cl. 240-11 This invention relates to electric lighting apparatus and more particularly to a fighting apparatus adapted for use as a headlamp for any vehicle or as a projector in many different applications. This lighting apparatus is designed to have non-dazzle properties while having the same illuminating power as any conventional lighting apparatus. Another feature of this apparatus is that it will not alter the colors of the objects illuminated thereby.

This lighting apparatus comprises essentially a light source, for example an electric lamp, and a reflector. It encloses, in front of the lamp, a network of parallel colored blades having dilferent colors corresponding to Patented Apr. 19, 1 960 Thelighting apparatus illustrated in the drawings is a headlamp comprising a conventional parabolic reflector 1 and an incandescent lamp 2. In this headlamp are disposed in frontof the lamp 2 a series of flat blades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 parallel to the axis of the apparatus. The number of blades used in the apparatus is immaterial; however, an odd number of blades is preferred so that a middle blade will be positioned in axial alignment' with the lamp 2.

According to the primary feature of this invention the blades 3, 4 9 are colored, there being at least three difierent colors, preferably those employed in the trichromatic process: blue, green and red. Thus, the middle blade 6 may be blue, with green blades 3, 4, 5101i the left-hand side and red blades'7, 8, 9 on the right-hand side. Of course, the color arrangement may be reversed, that is, by disposing the green blades on the right and the red blades on the left.

the main colors of the solar spectrum, with at least three colors, preferably those generally used in the trichromatic or three-color process, that .is, blue, green and red.

Thus, the light rays emitted from the lamp and e fiected by the reflector are colored either as they pass aforesaid reflections on the blades and reflector, these light rays combine together to form another composite, non-dazzle light.

The fighting apparatus according to the invention encloses in addition a vertical screen consisting of transparent tubes disposed side by side in front of the aforesaid network of colored blades and at right angles to the axis of the apparatus. The light rays colored by the blades are thus int mately combined together due to the deflection of the light rays as they pass through'the row of tubes. I

According to an advantageous embodiment of this invention, the blades. are carried by the front glass of the lighting apparatus or the screen of vertical transparent tubes. These blades and the, glass or screen constitute a unitary structure adapted to be mounted within a headlamp of existing type for quickly and easily converting same into an improvedheadlamp according to this invention.

Other features and advantages of the invention, as well as various possible and alternate embodiments thereof, will be described hereafter with reference to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification and illustrating diagrammatically by way of example the manner in which the same may be carried out in the practice.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a horizontal section showing an embodiment of a headlamp, with the colored blades as seen from beneath;

Figure 2 is a similar view showing in horizontal section a modified embodiment of the headlamp of Fig. 1;

Figure 3 is a similar view showing also in horizontal Furthermore'and still within the scope or" this invention the outermost blades, that'is the lateral blades 3 and 9, may be yellow, the blades 4, 5 alone'being green and 4, 3 light green and yellow, respectively, the blade 5 alone remaining green and the right-hand blades 8, 9 being orange and yellow respectively, the blade 7 remaining red. in this case, the middle blade 6 will remain blue.

As already stated hereinabove, the number of blades is immaterial, and may even be reduced to thatof the difi'erent colors used.

In all cases, the composite light rays emitted from the light source and reflected by the reflector are colored as they pass through or are reflected by the .colored blades. More particularly, they are colored in the various colors corresponding to the blade colors and there- 'fore in the colors'of the main elementary colors of the decomposition spectrum of composite light. Then, due

to the diiferent reflections on these blades' and also on the reflector, these colored rays ofsirnple lights combine together and form a beam of composite light. However, this double operation will produce a beam of composite light which is non-dazzling. Moreover, this light beam provides a high degree of visibility, even in foggy weather. 1

Consequently, the use of this headlamp is particularly effective on automotive vehicles and other vehicles to provide an improved road illumination ahead of the vehicle and avoid "any risk of dazzling the drivers of on-coming vehicles. However, it will be readily understood that the use of this headlamp or projector is not restricted to this specific application, more especially as the light emitted by this improved apparatus does not alter the colors of theobjects illuminated thereby. In fact, this improved apparatus may be used as a fixed lighting apparatus whenever a non-dazzle illumination is to be obtained in a given direction. Thus, it can be used in public or street lighting systems, or as an airfield beacon, or as a lighting apparatus for show-windows, operating theatres, filmstudios, etc.

Preferably, the color of each blade is of decreasing 1 strength or depth in the downward direction, and if desired the lower end of the blade may be colorless. Thus,

the light emitted by the headlamp or projector is clamped considerably in the upward direction since the blade color is darkest in the upper region.

The parallel blades may consist of transparent or translucent material tinted bodily by means of a coloring substance or any other coloring covering. Suitably tinted mirrors may also be used to this end. If need be completely opaque glass or other plates may be used.

These blades are of decreasing width, the middle blade 6 beingw der and the outermost blades 3 and 9 narrower and shorter. t

To dim the light in the upper portion of the apparatus, thegrean'edges oi the parallel'blades, instead of being straight and. vertical, may bezshaped to conform the contour of the lamp-bulbZ in their upper portions, so as to somewhat .wrap it, as shown in Fig. 4.

On the other hand, the lighting apparatus according to the inventioninclude in combination withcolored blades, a transverse screen consisting of a set of transparent vertical. tubes 29; disposed side by side. Due to the deviations imposed, by these tubes to the light rays colored the colored blades, the'transparent tubes will v provide an intimate combination of these colored rays to roduce, another composite light having non-dazzle prop- V erties and which "will not alter the colors of the objects illuminated-thereby. Onthe votherhand, these tubeswill provide a perfect diffusion of-the. composite light issuing from. the headlamp. Thus, these tubes have an important. 7

function in combination with the colored blades.

The front edgesof the colored blades maybe inter posed between adjacenttubes 29 and form an integral unit with the screen consisting of this .set of tubes, so ZSIO constitute a device adapted to be mounted within a headlamp of conventional design for: converting it into an improved apparatus according. to thisinvention. The

front glass'may be fluted as indicated at 39 in Fig. 1 or tubes. Zfigthe tubes of this other row being ofi-set relative to those ofthe rear row soas to have their axes co-planar with the parallel blades 4,5, 6, 7, 3.

. The tubes 29 of the embodiment shown in Fig. l, or those 29, 29a of the modified embodiment of Fig. 2

What I claim as new is: 1. Lighting apparatus comprising alight source, a concavereflector disposed behind and coaxially to said light source, a series oi 'bladesparallel to one another and to the reflector ase's which are disposed in advance of the light source; and colored with difierent colors comprising at least the three fundamental colors of the solar spectrum, the relative positions ot'said light source and said parallel blades, in relation to said reflector, being such that the light rays reflected by said reflector strike least one portion of said blades whereby said rays are colored with the fundamental colors. of the spectrum, a screen disposed in advance or said networkjo 'r'. colored blades, at right angles to the of said reflector, which consistsv of transparent tubes disposed side by side, said screen being adapted to mix said colored rays and to emit on the side oppositeto said light source a uniformly diffused white, non-glare lig t, through an angle of 180.

m Lighting apparatus according to claim 1, and including transparent balls stacked on one another in the transparent tubes so as to form vertical rows of super 7 I posed balls therein.

may be transparentor translucent, or ground (fr0ste'd),'-

or silvered, or eventinted in difierent colors, as desired; These tubesrnay be made of glass, plastic or any other suitable material, and their cross-sectional contours may have ditferent lorrns, such as oval, round, square, rectangular, etc. The cross-sectional. area of these tubes is more or ,less important,

If desired, the tubes 29 and 29a may be replaced by solid rods of glass, plastic. or any other-suitable material.

Figure 3 illustrates another embodiment of this invention, wherein the, width of the parallel blades is considerably reduced, these blades being located within the All these tubesflare v transparent: tnbes 29 themselves. parallel tolone' another and form an integral unitcondescribed hereinabove.

Another possible iormof embodiment of the invention is illustrated in Figs. 4 to 5 and comprises normal colored blades. associated with vertical tubes, but in this case the. tubes are filled with"transparent balls forming Colored or colorless I alsoipossible to either replace its front glass by a glass" it carrying parallel colored blades, or fit therein an intermediate transparent or translucent screen provided with these blades, or mount a screen consisting of vertical tnbe's carrying these blades:

preceding embodiments 1 stituting a. network-in the formfof a vertical screen in 3 7 front of the lamp 2. Of course, the'parallel and narrower I blades31 are colored as in the 3. Lighting apparatus as setforth in claim 1, wherein said screen comprises another row of tubes similar to said transparent tubesiand staggered relative thereto, in front of the first row a Ai ing-thing apparatus comprising a light source, a concave-reflector disposed behind and coaxially with said light source, a vertical screen at rightanglestoth'e axis of the assembly and consisting of transparent tubes.dis-' posed side by side, a n'etworl; of parallel colored blades disposed in front oi the light source andhaving at least. threeditferent colors of the solar spectrum, each of said "blades having a reduced width and being disposed within "one of saidtransparent tubesot said vertical Iscrceri.

5'; A lighting apparatus comprising, in combination, a ght source; a concave r flector haviirgian axis passing.

ubstantially through the center of the d bt source and eing arranged on one side of said light source; a plurality of blades arranged spaced from and parallel to each other and tothe reflector axis at the'other side of the light source, said blades being respectively colored 'with different colors comprising at least the three fundamental colors of the solar'spectrum, so that the light rays reflected by said reflector strike at least a portion of each blade whereby said rays are "coloredawith the fundamental colors of the spectrum; and means for mixing thethuscolored light raysand comprising at least one row of elongated transparent elements arranged side,

by side at right anglesto theirefl'ector axis forwardly of said blades so that the colored rays will passjthrough 3 said elongated transparent elements, whereby a difiused, write, anti glare; light will. be emitted from the lighting 1,176,746 Federico MarJZS, 1916 17264,?584 Reeves 'Al1g. 14, 1923 1,521,833 Paul Jan. 6,1925 1518, 919 HQSSQQ. Feb; '15, 1927 1,671,433. Moon e May 29,1928 1,683,278 Altman Sept. 4, "1928 1,917,560 Tirnm0ns July 11, 1933 2,021,790 Kuhn. Q Nov 19, 1935 2,539,927 'Ramminger Jan. 30,1951

FORElGN PATENTS 7 37,579 Austria June 11, 1909 301,334 Great Britain Q Nov.-27, 1928" 7 313,721 Great sritarnpg wu iJune 20, 

